ANTHONY JOSHUA vs Tyson Fury WILL go ahead this year after Eddie Hearn confirmed they had finally signed their contracts.
The star duo have been locked in talks to face-off in an all-British heavyweight unification showdown this summer.
Anthony Joshua will defend his heavyweight belts against Tyson Fury this summerCredit: The Sun
Tyson Fury will go up against Anthony Joshua in two fights this year as he aims to be crowned undisputed heavyweight champion of the worldCredit: Richard Pelham
Fury, 32, recently vented his frustration at the contracts not being signed – admitting he has stopped eating and training while drinking up to 12 pints of beer per day, putting his blockbuster bout with AJ in serious jeopardy.
But now the fight has finally been CONFIRMED with Joshua, 31, and Fury going toe-to-toe twice later this year in a deal worth a staggering £200million.
Hearn – Joshua’s promoter – confirmed the good news saying the ‘hard part’ is now over and done with.
Hearn told ESPN: “We’d like to get a site deal confirmed in the next month.
“The hard part is always getting everybody to put pen to paper.
“But this was a major effort from all parties to get this over the line.
“You had rival promoters, rival networks and rival fighters.
“I actually feel we’ve done the hard part.”
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Hearn continued by confirming ‘multiple countries’ – including Saudi Arabia and America – are keen to host the monster showdown.
The promoter claimed: “Speaking for myself, Anthony and his team at 258 management, I know how hard we’ve worked hard these last couple of months.
“I just feel that this fight is so big it’s not a difficult sell.
“We’ve already had approaches from eight or nine sites.
“The offers have come from multiple countries in the Middle East, from Asia, Eastern Europe and America.
“This is the biggest fight in boxing and one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
“It will be a major, major win for a country that wants to showcase itself.”
The fight purse split was agreed as long ago as June 2020.
Last summer, both Hearn and Fury confirmed telephone talks had got the financial agreements sorted for a 50-50 first leg split, with the winner taking home the larger slice of a 60-40 split in the rematch.
Joshua and Fury are set to finally go head-to-head in the ring after months of negotiations
Fury hasn’t fought since his senational win over Deontay Wilder in February 2020Credit: AP
Joshua beat Pulev in December to retain his heavyweight belts with a ninth-round knockoutCredit: PA
Earlier this month, Hearn even sold Brit fans the dream of the second-leg of the two-fight rivalry happening at a packed Wembley stadium, after lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
Fury has not boxed since his brilliant February 2020 rematch win over Deontay Wilder that earned him the WBC title that is the one missing from Joshua’s collection.
Joshua, meanwhile, beat Kubrat Pulev as recently as December with a brutal ninth-round KO.
But the Gypsy King is still in confident mood, claiming he could give ‘bum’ Joshua ‘a good hiding’ after 14 pints.
Over the weekend, Fury told MTK Global: “I could drink 14 pints and still give AJ a hiding.
“I’m not training anymore. I only need six/seven weeks anyway for these bums.
“I don’t need no big, great sparring partners for a bodybuilding type of guy, I just need the local binmen.”
Fury then went on to call himself a ‘bionic action warrior’, insisting he ‘can’t be beaten’.
He told iFL TV: “See, if I am looking for a challenge, I have been looking, searching the world for 13 years, a professional to find a man who can better me.
“And I just can’t find him. Even if I go away, I still can’t be beat.
“I am like the bionic action warrior.
“I can’t be beaten.”
Tyson Fury not holding out on Anthony Joshua fight happening as he will ‘feel like killing’ himself if it falls through
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
